Those men who spent their teenage years goofing off and their college years drinking beer shouldn’t be surprised that women who consistently received higher grades and continued further in school might now be earning more money as well. But the evidence suggests that while men tend to applaud their spouses when they help to bring home the bacon, husbands aren’t always as enthusiastic when women start bringing home the filet mignon. And it’s especially troubling that these old-fashioned social norms about gender identity appear to be adversely affecting family formation and stability.
What happens when a man marries a woman who has the education and skills to earn more than him? The couple can avoid violating the “man earns more” social norm if the woman works part time or leaves the labor force altogether. The authors found evidence of both choices. But what if the woman stays in the labor force and does earn more than her spouse? How does this affect the marriage? The findings here are striking. In such couples, surveys show, both wife and husband generally report being less happy about the marriage. Given these findings, it isn’t surprising that when a wife earns more than her husband, the risk of divorce rises, too.
- More here by Richard Thaler
If this is still not obvious, check out these two new books:
The End of Men: And the Rise of Women by Hanna Rosin
The Rise of Women: The Growing Gender Gap in Education and What It Means for American Schools by Thomas A. Diprete and Claudia Buchmann
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